Referred By A Medical Professional

Medical professionals often refer patients to the Male Infertility Guide website as part of the process of helping them to optimize their fertility potential from the male side. Men who are referred to this website generally fall into 2 basic categories:

#1) Men with normal semen parameters who want to further improve your fertility potential as much as possible

#2) Men who have been found to have abnormalities on their fertility testing or have known fertility risk factors.

Normal Semen Analysis Testing

The semen analysis test is the single best predictor of a man's fertility potential that the field of medicine currently has available. However, we know that the semen analysis only gives us a rough indication of a man's true fertility capabilities, and misses many subtle factors that may be present on the biochemical and genetic level. Plenty of men with "normal" semen parameters are actually sub-fertile, and most men with normal testing can potentially benefit from some basic self-guided interventions to help optimize the quality of his sperm. The Sperm Boot Camp takes men through a review of the steps that men can take to maximize the quality of their sperm through non-invasive lifestyle-related changes. These changes can both increase the effectiveness of his sperm in establishing a healthy pregnancy as well as improve his overall general health.

Abnormal Fertility Testing or Known Fertility Risk Factors

Abnormal fertility testing can include abnormalities on semen analysis testing as well as hormonal abnormalities (such as low testosterone levels). Other men have known fertility issues- examples include men with a history of spinal cord injury, varicoceles (dilated veins in the scrotum), or the use of hormonally active supplements (e.g. testosterone injections, anabolic steroids, etc.). A 3 step approach is generally advised in men with known fertility problems to optimize their chances of establishing a healthy pregnancy as well as evaluate for any underlying general medical problems (such as testicular cancer, diabetes, or hormonal abnormalities) that can be contributing to their fertility problems.

Step 1: Sperm Boot Camp

Sperm Boot Camp is a self-directed program that reviews the basic lifestyle-related fertility risk factors and makes recommendations that can help increase male fertility potential.

Step 2: Medical Optimization Program

This section addresses medically-related problems that can negatively impact sperm quality and discusses strategies to effectively manage them. This is generally undertaken in coordination with a medical care provider with training in managing male fertility issues.

Step 3: Comprehensive Couples Planning

Once the pertinent male and female fertility issues have been addressed, all couples can potentially benefit from the Comprehensive Fertility Plan section of this website which integrates the male and female factors into a combined approach to design the most effective overall treatment strategy based on the couple's individual needs.